EU to Compensate Farmers Hit By Russian Import Ban

Program Likely to Come into Effect Next Week

BRUSSELS—The European Union next week will start a program to compensate farmers particularly hard hit by Russia's ban on imports of European fruit and vegetables, the first step in what will likely be a broader drive to cushion the blow to producers.

The import bans, which Moscow adopted last week in response to the EU's decision to place economic sanctions on Russia for its role in the Ukraine crisis, prompted an outcry from...